


Missing you

by Applesap



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Season 3 (Trollhunters), Troll Jim Lake Jr.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-07 18:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19474726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesap/pseuds/Applesap
Summary: Sometimes you miss people you've seen only yesterday, because you know you won't see them again for a long time.A short fic about Jim missing his mom.





	Missing you

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this after my girlfriend left for her plane back home, after we binged the entire series again. I was a crying mess the following week.

It’s almost morning by the time they find a safe place big enough to put up their camp. The sun announces itself by the warm rays that glow over the edge of the horizon, too far away to be dangerous, but already painful to Jim’s newly transformed troll eyes. Along with the other trolls he turns his back on the light to hide deep within the abandoned factory. It’s strange here among the thunderous bellows of the trolls, and their cramped bodies releasing a musk that send his brain into overdrive. It takes a gentle hand on his stone skin to snap him out of his anxious vigilance over the trolls. Claire’s gentle smile leads him to bed, but once he lies down his eyes stay wide open.

He can’t believe the sun is rising and he’s not in the kitchen to cook food for Toby and his mom.

In these past couple of months he has cried more times than he cares to remember, so he is not exactly afraid to do it. But before it was done in the privacy of his friends and family, not among the literal hundreds of snoring trolls who can wake up at a single wrong sound. He pulls at the thin cover of his bedsheets. Claire lies next to him, quick asleep after a long day of endlessly walking, and he hopes his quiet sobs won't wake her up. His granite face must look grotesque to her, what with the recent changes his body has undergone.

His chest heaves and face contorts. He doesn’t want to cry about this, honestly. It’s not cathartic. He feels like a child who can’t be away from his mommy for one day. He’s been away longer than this, sleepovers with Toby for five days in a row (a record) and school trips out of state. And with the invention of mobile phones he plans to keep her updated daily, so she knows where he is going and what he is doing and that he is doing fine. But right now, he doesn’t feel fine. He closes his eyes furiously, blocking the tears from escaping although his face is already wet, and he wipes over them. The uncomfortable armor chafes over his nose, not painful, but it is annoying how he can’t even sleep on something soft even though he knows it won’t matter anyway. A small hand pulls on the edge of his collar. He wishes it was the long slender hand of his mom pulling him closer. Instead it is Claire, and he is ashamed to think his girlfriend is the wrong person.

“Jim?” her voice croaks.

He can’t answer, fearing opening his mouth will just unleash a series of embarrassingly loud wails that he has been building up. What he really wants to do is jump out of his sleeping bag and run laps around the building, but of course the sun will scorch him to the bone if he does that. Tears are welling up more and more, and he covers Claire’s soft hand with his.

“Jim, it’s okay.”

“Geesh, w-we’ve only been gone for one n-night,” he sobs. “Isn’t that c-crazy?” He wipes off his tears and rests his fingers on his eyelids, letting the cool stone of his skin soothe his burning eyes. Merlin better not be eavesdropping. “How can I miss her already. Don’t you miss them?”

Claire is silent for a moment and buries her round face against his scruff, which makes a calm warmth flush through his body, easing his heavy breaths.

“I do miss them and I know they miss me too. Maybe it hasn’t sunken in yet that we’ve said goodbye. I know we have no idea when I’m gonna see them again, and maybe me being so calm about it is my brain tricking me thinking it won’t get worse. But I know they have Enrique. Knowing he’s safe in his crib, being fed and played with by my parents makes me not worry so much.”

Now Claire is crying, her face scrunched up and tears welling in her eyes. Great, he didn’t mean to do that. Jim shifts to comfort her, but there’s a smile on her face that cuts through the tears. “I’m happy they have him. It’s him I miss the most. Mi hermanito,” her voice cracks.

His chest heaves heavily in tune with Claire’s, two bodies in the comfort of one another. He thinks about who his mom might have as company, and his sadness turns bitter.

Suddenly, a loud noise jolts them out of their thoughts.

“Cen ya tew keep et dewn? O’m troin’ ta sleep hea,” says the loud voice of one troll.

“Shot op Grog ya heartless wankah, give ‘em their moment. Ah miss ma old grove tew,” says another.

Jim and Claire giggle against each other.

“See Jim, you’re not alone,” says Claire.

He huffs against her hair. No, he’s not. He’s never been.

“We’ll give them a call in the morning,” she sighs against his neck. Her eyes close and he can hear her heartbeat slowing again.

Carefully without stirring her too much, he pulls his phone off the charger and opens up his messenger, carefully typing the letters with his oversized fingers.

_ -mom im a little baby rn and i miss u so much _

Not a second passes before he gets the notification that Mom is typing.

__

_ -I miss you too honey… come back soon _

__

_ -will try mom _

__

_ -Call me as much as you can… I might be at work sometimes but please leave messages for me. _

His mind flashes to his mom at the hospital, working night shift after night shift, and he ponders about what would be the right hours to call. In the early mornings, like now, she might pick up. Definitely no sooner, since she needs all the rest she can get. Possibly when it's his turn to wake up, before he has to rally the rest of the migrating trolls into action. She might be home then, and he’d catch her up on their plans for the day.

A final, sanguine tear rolls down his granite chin as he types his goodnight.

_ -love u mom _

__

_ -i love you too, little baby _


End file.
